Film Production
“The three of us principally believe there is no limit of growth, it’s a matter of choice”: Chrome Pictures founders
Mumbai: Cinema has been entertaining and educating the masses through various mediums, including films, TVCs, ad films, TV serials, and web series on OTT platforms. Creating, experimenting and evolving with ‘Lights, Camera and Action’, a production house – Chrome Pictures has come a long way in the world of advertising and filmmaking.
On 20 January 2024, Chrome Pictures celebrated a remarkable milestone, marking its 20-year anniversary as a prominent force in the realm of visual storytelling. The film production company, founded in 2004 by the dynamic trio of Amit Sharma, Aleya Sen, and Hemant Bhandari has emerged as one of the premier production houses of the country, consistently upholding a legacy of excellence, innovation, and creativity on a global scale.
Renowned for its diverse portfolio, the company has directed and produced compelling and heartwarming TVCs for an array of leading brands in collavoration with top ad agencies of India. The accolades garnered and awards won at renowned platforms include the Cannes Film Festival, Spikes Asia, Adfest, NYA, D&AD, DPA, amongst others. In the recent times, Chrome Pictures won 33 film awards for their debut feature film ‘Badhaai Ho’ including the prestigious National Award for the “Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment”.
To know more about the production company and its two decade journey, Indian Television caught up with Chrome Pictures founders Amit Sharma, Aleya Sen and Hemant Bhandari.
Edited Excerpts:
On the founders of Chrome Pictures coming together to establish the company in 2004
Amit Sharma, Aleya Sen and Hemant Bhandari started Chrome Pictures at the young age of 24. Amit and Hemant are childhood friends, while Aleya and Amit met on sets of Pradeep Sarkar. It was their dream to start a production house together.
On some memorable moments along with the challenges that Chrome Pictures faced during its 20-year journey in the industry
20 years is a long time and we’ve faced multiple challenges along the way. But we’ve always seen every challenge as an opportunity to get better at our game.
One of our biggest challenges was our first breakthrough. The first year we only got 10-15 sec ads. We made Hanes commercials with our own money. It won many national and International awards. That’s when we got our first recognition in the advertising industry. Making our own place in Bollywood, with landmark films like Badhaai Ho and recently Trial Period is equally challenging. Covid was another time of challenge for all production houses. We were one of the first to start online shoots, with a zeal to reinvent ourselves. We are a company of 70 and everyone was retained. We landed, bagging 46 awards, including Cannes Lions Awards for Dove #StopTheBeautyTest and the Facebook Pooja Didi Ad, shot during COVID.
On Chrome Pictures distinguishing itself in terms of its creative and innovative approach within both the cinema and advertising industries
We love exploring and experimenting with new talent, technology, genre, formats etc. It’s safe to say that the creative aspect of films – be it ad or feature, triumphs everything else for us. We believe that storytelling is not limited to any format and, hence, from Chrome’s very inception, we’ve looked forward to every project with equal amount of excitement. Long format was a natural progression. We like to stay updated with the ever growing and changing market.
On the genres or thematic areas that Chrome Pictures is looking to delve into as it further establishes itself in the Bollywood film industry
We are unified by our diversity. We’ve never restricted ourselves to specific genres while making feature films. We treat content as our hero. Selection of a particular script is an individual director’s choice. Like, I might go from exploring romance in one project to drama in the next. Similarly, Amit might go from doing a sports biography, Maidaan, to a thriller. However our forte is emotional and realistic storytelling.
On whether AI is having any discernible impact on Chrome Pictures’ production process and if so, is the company integrating artificial intelligence into its creative workflows
Evolution is constant. Just about 12 years back, Fuji and Kodak Stock suddenly switched to digital cameras. From Beta tapes, we switched to drives and then cloud. So AI is inevitable. At Chrome, we strive to stay flexible and relevant to changing times. It’s important to upgrade oneself in an industry that welcomes new technology readily. Having said that, AI will certainly have an adverse impact in terms of replacing manual work to digitised ones.
On the company’s future plans & aspirations
In the last 20 years, we have explored our strengths in more than one way. Currently with eight young and talented in-house directors, six producers and an experienced production and post team, we intend on producing more feature films, OTT films and web series.
Our advertising team is well-established and we encourage new talents. We have a digital wing, Minikin DG Works. We have a well-equipped post-production studio setup called “Planet Chrome”. Last year we launched our content lab called “Crimsen Tales”.
The three of us principally believe there is no limit of growth, it’s a matter of choice.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
